Page 51: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 2017)

Brunvoll Acquires

Scana Propulsion

Brunvoll, a family-owned company headquartered in Molde, Norway, that designs, manufactures and services complete thruster systems for maneuver- ing, positioning and propulsion of advanced ves- sels, signed an agreement with Incus Investor ASA to acquire all the shares in Scana Propulsion AS, including subsidiaries Scana Volda AS and Scana

Mar-El AS in Norway and three sales companies located in the U.S., Singapore and China. Brun- voll Holding AS signed an option agreement for

Above: Odd Tore Finnøy, CEO, Brunvoll AS. the acquisition of Scana Volda AS Real Estate,

Below: Final assembly and FAT of Brunvoll AR100 which owns manufacturing and of? ce facilities

Retractable Azimuth Thruster. of Scana Volda AS. Scana Propulsion AS supplies gear and propeller systems with associated control systems for the propulsion of ships and thus have a complementary product range to Brunvoll. Odd

Tore Finnøy, CEO, Brunvoll, said the acquisition is a strategic move, aiming is to create a “win-win” for both companies, a single source offering better, comprehensive solutions for both propulsion and operation of advanced vessels. “We are strength- ening our position in the market with this acqui- sition,” said Finnøy. The transaction is subject to approval from the Competition Authority.

(Photos: Brunvoll) – which each engine generates from a 24.24 L cyl- ters above the ground, the amphibious vehicle can inder capacity – these vehicles have enough power then be moved forwards by means of the propel- available to accelerate the hovercraft up to speeds ler at the rear. The propeller shafts and the elec- of 50 knots (92.6 km/h). In the older amphibious tric motors for operating the lift fans are powered vessels two engines were used for lift and two were by the MAN 12-cylinder engine. The engines are used for horizontal acceleration. In the new mod- mounted as low as possible in order to generate an els, these two functions have been combined, so ideal center of gravity.

that the two 12-cylinder engines provide both lift In addition to being used as a passenger ferry, and propulsion. hovercraft are already in use in many other ? elds.

Due to their modern design, the new systems not Border guards, the coast guard and disaster relief, only saves fuel and money, but also helps to im- among others, use these amphibious vehicles. The prove comfort levels onboard the hovercraft: outstanding feature of the hovercraft is that they “The engines are fuel-ef? cient and quiet and this can be used on almost any surface, something that is very important in ensuring our passengers have confers considerable advantages, especially in de- a pleasant experience,” said Mark Downer, Chief veloping countries that have a poor infrastructure.

Engineer at Griffon Hoverwork. “We have also re- For the operators of Hovertravel Ltd., the char- duced the noise level in the cabin by using larger acteristics of the hovercraft are also worth their propellers. They can deliver the same active power weight in gold. Due to their very nature, they are as their predecessors did, but at a lower speed,” independent of the tides, and at low tide they can said the Chief Engineer. travel right up to the location for the next bus con- nection, therefore saving passengers a long walk.

A Design Challenge

The challenges in designing a hovercraft start,

Technical Data for the D2862 LE124 however, when looking at the geometry and design

Power ....................................793 kW (1,079 HP) of the centerof gravity. To make a structure hover

Cylinder capacity ......................................24.24 L that has a ? oor area of 22.4 times ten meters, i.e.

Cylinder (arrangement) ...............................12 (V) the size of a tennis court, requires sophisticated en-

Dry weight ...............................................1,959 kg gineering: the hull of the vehicle is equipped with

Rated engine speed ............................1,800 rpm a skirt made of special composites. An air cushion,

Min. speci? c fuel cons. .........199 g/kWh [1500] which is generated by fans under the hovercraft,

Compression ratio .........................................19:1 start to make the vehicle hover. One and a half me- www.marinelink.com 51

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